This inention relates to digital computers, and more particularly relates to a configuration philosophy for laptop computers.
As the size of semiconductor devices and various other computer components has decreased dramatically in the past decade, computer manufacturers have been able to provide progressively smaller computer systems having the same or improved computational abilities as their larger predecessors. Computers of the laptop size for personal or business usage, for example, may typically have a width of 35 cm and a depth of 22 cm, thus occupying approximately 770 sq. cm of a desktop, while an equally functional desktop computer might have a width of 50 cm and a depth of 40 cm, requiring 2000 sq. cm of desktop area.
In addition to their compact size, laptop computers typically have the advantage of being relatively light as compared to their desktop-sized counterparts, weighing perhaps 7 kg, and are usually provided with a battery power supply so that users may fully exploit their portability.
In order for laptop computers to retain functional compatibility with their desktop-sized counterparts and with currently available software, laptop machines should include many of the functional components found in desktop machines, including sufficient on-board memory, floppy disk and hard disk drives, display screens, expansion slots, and standard input/output ports. Additional features, such as built-in modems, may also be incorporated into laptop machines to complement their portable nature.
It is accordingly a feature of the present invention that an arrangement of components is provided which results in a compact, lightweight unit with an efficient and convenient user interface. Another feature of the invention is that th compact and lightweight configuration does not degrade the functionality of the system relative to a typical desktop computer, and that the resultant system incorporates laptop-specific capabilities not always found in desktop computers.